13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher

It’s been awhile since I’ve read a young adult book. In fact I just checked, and I went an entire month without reading one. Anyway, we picked this book up on the teen group’s book buying trip and I’d been hearing good things about it so I started it last night and today after I did my chores, I just had to sit down and finish it. It’s one of those books, where you just need to read it.

Here’s the premise – Clay receives seven tapes in an unmarked package. He’s stunned to hear Hannah’s voice on the tapes, as Hannah recently committed sucide. And these are her reasons why, which are being passed to each person who is a part of the story.

There’s the suspense of why Clay received the tapes and what he did to Hannah, as he had a crush on her for the past few years, so he’s at a loss as to why he’s part of her reasons. Then there’s Hannah’s haunting story – which at its heart has the simple message – you really don’t know what’s going on in someone’s life and how your actions can impact another person.

This book is so well-written. It’s sad, but surprisingly I didn’t cry (and really I’m a soft-touch) probably because I was too stunned. This is a powerful book which should be read and discussed. Hopefully it can help another teen who feels there’s no way out, and hopefully it will make people stop and think about their actions.

My copy of the book included an awesome interview with the author – who in his acknowledgements (13 of them) said he was inspired by Chris Crutcher, one my favorite authors. I can hardly wait for Mr. Asher’s next book.